Change of Heart
by Kiro-HiSakata
Summary: Christmas time already! Vincent never got into it. Tifa enjoys it. Then there's a Chihuahua, an angel, and a tree that is nothing but a pain to Vincent. In the end, things seem to work out. Now about Tifa promising Vincent some Victoria's Secret...


Hm, I'm actually writing a Christmas story. That's a little… well, different. I must say in advance that there'll be a couple of flashbacks. The first one will be easy to follow, but then the second one might get a little bit confusing since it's a flashback… in a flashback. Get it?

(Or, perhaps I shouldn't say anything for I might confuse some of the readers out there).

Anywho, I just wanted to be able to get Vincent into the Christmas spirit since he strikes me as one in which the term "Bah, Humbug!" suits him well despite not being a bitter old man.

Oh, and please note that I'm not really following any story line from FF7:AV for the sake that I would really be bad at plotting a serious story while try to stick to character personalities and events taking place. Not my thing - I enjoy being a bit humorous and sprinkling a bit of my own character twists into my stories.

For example, Tifa and Vincent are not actually a couple in the games nor the movie, and I simply think they would work. My opinion.

On a finishing note, I am not the genius behind FFVII, it characters, concepts, nada! I simply borrow the names and some quirky behaviors to satisfy my twisted little mind and to occupy myself from wanting to run over to Barnes & Noble and spend who knows how much on books.

Enjoy and much love,

Kat

P.S. I'm silly. I tried to figure out how to separate the flashbacks and finally got it only moments ago. Aye yi yi!

* * *

Vincent flicked the shiny red ball he was holding by the string watching his red reflection spin as he found a home for the ornament on the tree. He sighed, wishing he could've talked Tifa out of celebrating Christmas, let alone paying a good chunk of money for decorations, food, and gifts that'll bring the biggest smiles on the kids' faces.

Then again two weeks, later, the gifts are either thrown in the closet underneath all the other gifts their parents spoiled them with or thrown away since children tend to get a little rowdy with their toys.

What's worse is that Tifa delightedly informed Vincent that the duo were going to host a Christmas party meaning the kids were coming to trash their home, and Vincent was going to have to be warm and friendly to the unwanted visitors.

He only hoped that there was enough Advil in the medicine cabinet to ease any headache caused by constant screaming of playing children, loud, obnoxious Christmas music, and that annoying little runt Chihuahua that Reno rescued a while back while fighting off some guy who had the dog with him.

What upset Vincent about the dog other than the yapping was how he tried to make amends with the mutt (he was never a fan of dogs or large rats to being with), and when he went to pet him, the bastard bit him!

Vincent had been doing well with keeping the demon fused inside him, known as Chaos, from taking over his body and causing mass destruction.

'_Though, I wouldn't mind unleashing him to toast that mutt, stick it between two slices of French bread, and call it a 3 and a quarter pound hot dog.'_

"Alright, now for the tree topper, and all will be finished."

Vincent grabbed the shoebox he had set on the couch earlier. Opening it and removing the green and blue tissue from the top, he saw an angel inside. Pulling it out of the box and setting it to side, he examined the new tree topper.

A sudden rush ran through him. It was foreign, as though something deep inside him - Chaos? Nah… - was submerging after being hidden for so long. The pessimistic thoughts of Christmas slowly washed away as thoughts of joy, laughter and love filled in the void.

_I'm starting to rub off on Tifa's Christmas enthusiasm. Then again, it might not be so bad to celebrate it a little bit. _

Vincent pull the step ladder out then carefully climbed up and placed the Angel ontop. As he climbed back down, he thought her heard a woman laugh softly. Quickly looking around, he saw nobody and immediately dismissed his paranoid feelings

As he put the step ladder away, a small chuckle came out of Vincent for being a little on the anxious side as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Being a little skittish when it comes to someone approaching him from behind, he caused Tifa to jump back a bit as he quickly spun around, startling her.

She placed a hand over chest and took a quick breath. "Sorry, forgot." She smiled apologetically. "You left the door open, so I invited myself in."

"It's alright. Besides, you've been living here for almost a year. Just wanted to try and get this all done before you came back home. I started working on it when you left after saving me from this man-eating tree."

Tifa smiled, amused as she set down her bags of gifts and food while both individuals recollected their thoughts of what happened only hours ago.

* * *

She persuaded Vincent to buy an eight foot tree from deep in the forest where the merchant was known for taking care of the trees with natural remedies to the point where it wouldn't wilt and die after a few weeks of being cut from its roots.

She recalled how frustrated Vincent was when he brought the tree home. He had misjudged the height of the garage, and as he drove the car in, the tree hit the top of the garage and pine needles were ripped out by the ropes bound to it and around the car before plopping down on the ground.

The next part was getting the tree into the house. Needless to say, the middle part of the tree was a wee bit to big to fit in, and Tifa could've sworn she heard someone sawing outside and cursing up a storm for a half hour while she was cleaning up the kitchen and setting things up for the big party and dinner. Just as she finished the last place setting, Vincent reappeared with the tree and made a smooth entrance through the door without any trouble.

Tifa cocked her head and pursed her lips as Vincent attempted to place the tree in its holder in the den next to the kitchen.

"Um, wasn't the tree a bit more… full?

Vincent had his back to her as he continued to steady the tree to the point where no one would sue them over their kid being crushed to death by it.

"Oh, yeah. Some giant… creature came and attacked it. That's when I started to shout names under the sun to it."

"For a half hour?"

Vincent smiled sheepishly as he blushed a bit. Thankfully, Tifa couldn't see it. "Well, needless to say, aside from rescuing the tree from the intruding creature, it managed to … bite through some of the thicker branches and give us some fire wood for the night."

With a grunt, Vincent pushed the tree down firmly, confident it wouldn't fall over. Stepping back slowly, he put his hands up to catch the tree if it decided to fall over. After a minute, he turned to Tifa, gave her a warm smile and inquired about the pair cuddling next to the fire place and having some hot coco with those squishy marshmallows.

Call it a case of bad timing, but before Tifa could furnish an answer, the tree came crashing down on Vincent, his head and hands visible and coated with pine needles.

Tifa let out a laugh as she went to help Vincent. "If I didn't know any better, I would think the tree was trying to tell me who or what actually … chewed off its branches."

After helping Vincent with his little mishap, Tifa put on her jacket and grabbed her purse, informing Vincent that she was heading out to buy food and gifts.

"What about the tree decorating?"

"Well, since I'll be gone for a few hours running errands, I think you'll have everything up by then. I put all the decorations on the couch."

As Vincent shifted his eyes to the couch Tifa was talking about, his jaw dropped a bit as he went over and peaked inside one of the bags. Looking back up at Tifa, he scoffed. "There's atleast fifty decorations in the one bag alone! And I don't recall gift shopping an 'errand' for you. For me, it'd be hell."

"Well, That's not going to stop me. Unless… if you want to go to the mall and deal with the _screaming children _and all the _singing carolers_…" she tried to hide a smile that was threatening to form as she put some oomph into the two things out of the many that Vincent could not stand.

Vincent threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'll decorate."

"That's a good boy," Tifa gushed, giving Vincent a quick peck on the lips. As she opened the front door, she looked back at Vincent in a seductive manner. "Who knows, if a certain someone's being a good boy and does what he said he would do, he might find his hard work being paid off with some Victoria's Secret lingerie."

"Well, in that case… I'm a size 32 with a AA cup."

"Ah, your sense of humor never gets on, Vince. Don't ever lose it."

As Tifa departed Vincent shook his head once again trying to fit the tree into place. After checking five times to make sure the damn thing wouldn't fall on him again, he was certain it would stay.

Pulling one of the bags off the couch, he dug in and pulled out a snowman ornament then sighed.

"I think I'll started with the singular objects first, which would be tinsel and lights," he stated, dropping the snowman back into the back. As he pulled out the tinsel, he wrapped it around himself like a feather boa then swung his hips as he walked to the tree.

"Okay, everyone. Let's pray."

* * *

After she set her stuff down, she went to give Vincent a hug and kiss but froze when she saw the tree behind him. Her eyes widened as she cupped a hand over her mouth. For an individual who despised Christmas, Vincent didn't slack off when it came to decorating the tree. Everything was perfect from the light arrangement to the swirling ice blue tinsel around the tree, over a hundred little ornaments scattered on the tree, Tifa's eyes drifted all the way up to the top where her angel was placed.

Denzel was the one who gave it to her and told her to '_look after mommy_' for him.

Another flashback came into mind at the orphanage at Christmas time a last year.

* * *

The children were as happy as could be, singing carols and playing with their new toys and games given to them by their secret Santa.

Tifa was chatting with a few of the volunteers while preparing snacks for the children when something in her mind told her that someone was missing in action.

She excused herself from the group and looked amongst the children trying to figure out who it was that were secluding themselves from all the fun. Having no luck putting her finger on it, since the kids were running around all over the place making it impossible to keep track as she saw the same faces in different places, she decided to investigate the rooms.

After checking the restrooms, dining room, and the girls' bedroom, Tifa stopped in front of the boys' bedroom. The door was shut, unlike the others. The hallway was silent as she heard noises coming from the other side. Pressing her ear against their door, she could hear a young child crying.

Tifa burrowed a brow as she pulled back and gently rapped on the door.

She heard footsteps stomping towards the door. As the doorknob turned, a boy starting to speak loudly.

"I already told you, Marlene, I don't want to join the stupid party!" The boy's eyes widened as he saw Tifa standing in front of him instead of his (girl)friend.

"Hi, Denzel."

Denzel's gaze dropped to the ground as he rubbed his foot against the wooden floor.

"Hey, Tifa."

"Now what's this I hear about a stupid party? When Tifa Lockheart's planning it, it's bound to be a blast," she boasted.

"I know that. Your Halloween party was pretty fun. Not too sure what to make with Cloud dressing up as a girl, but the food was delicious."

"Well, you'll be glad to hear that I made a special dish for you, mister. A little birdie told me how much you enjoy baked French toast with apples and granola, so if you come with me now, you can enjoy it while it's still hot!"

Denzel didn't say a word. Within moments, he started sniffling, lifting his head up and meeting Tifa's brown eyes with his glazed baby blues.

Tifa was concerned about Denzel's reaction. "Well, maybe the little birdie misheard you-"

"That's not it!" Denzel interrupted abruptly, covering his face with his arm as he ran to back of the boy's bedding area and sinking down on the other side of the last bed.

Tifa made her way over to where Denzel was crying again. She knelt down beside the child, placed a soft, warm hand under his chin, and gently turn his face up to look at hers.

"Denzel, it's Christmas. If I could have one wish come true, it would be to see a smile on your face." As much as Tifa wanted to figure what caused the boy to cry out all of a sudden, she figured it be best to soothe him rather than pester him.

Denzel gulped back any remaining cries that tried to come up from deep within. He relaxed a bit as he gently removed Tifa's hand from his face.

The boy scooched forward from the bed a bit then turned around to bury himself underneath it.

After a few seconds of rumbling around, he came back up with an old shoebox in his possession then went back to a seated position with his back against the bed.

"I never showed anyone this before. Not even Marlene knows about it," Denzel whispered, removing the lid.

Tifa couldn't help but feel a little touched that Denzel was willing to share something with just her.

Pulling away the blue and green tissue that covered the item, Tifa noticed a porcelain angel hiding beneath the tissue.

Denzel carefully pulled the doll out of the box and held it tightly against his chest as though it were a lost puppy he found.

"I see that angel means a lot to you."

The young boy merely nodded his head as he closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to allow the tears to trickle down his cheeks. As he held the angel, he felt a comforting feeling around him as he began to speak.

"For a long time, Momma was sick a lot. My Dad died before I was born, and I … I kind of think that's what caused Momma to get sick. Whenever I asked her to talk to me about my dad, she would smile and say a few things before crying. I decided not to talk about him anymore after that, and she seemed to get a little better but not a lot.

I remembered how much she loved to create dolls. It was something she was always happy with doing and even filled up a couple of our old bookshelves with them. I told her that I wish I could have an angel that looked like her. When Christmas came, she handed me the shoebox and underneath the green and blue tissue wrap was the angel. She told me that she spent a lot of time to try and make an angel that looked like her. She said the angel had a lot of love for me like she did.

She started to cry a bit when she told me that if she suddenly has to leave that a part of her would be in the angel and if I ever needed someone to talk to or anything like that to just pull the angel out of the box and she'll take care of me.

Barrett and Marlene came by that night to have dinner with us. Everything was fine until Momma fell down from her chair and started to shake a lot. I was terrified and Marlene was crying. Barrett told me to take Marlene to my room and close the door.

I could hear the ambulance and saw their flashing lights through my window. Barrett was yelling and shouting bad words when he came and got Marlene and me and told us that we were going to stay at his place. I asked him what happened to Momma, and it looked like he was trying not to cry. The hospital called, and Barrett tried his best not to say any bad words, but his body was shaking. I knew he was crying, and that's when I figured out what Momma meant when she said that her having to leave so soon."

Denzel buried his head into the angel and was silent for a moment. "It's funny." His voice was muffled by the doll, but he drew his head back and continued to talk. "Whenever anyone asked me to talk about my past with my mother, I wasn't able to speak without becoming angry or crying. Tifa," he paused, raising his eyebrows as he locked gazes with the brunette, "do you think… with what I said about a part of Mamma being with the doll…"

Tifa placed a hand on his shaggy sandy blonde hair and gave it a little ruffle. "If you believe it, Denzel, then it might as well be true." She gave him an encoring smile followed by a quick wink.

"Now, how about we go eat some French toast together?"

Denzel smiled, nodding his head as he placed the doll back in the shoebox and blanketed her with the green and blue tissues.

As Tifa was getting up, Denzel gently grabbed her hand.

Placing the shoebox in her hand, Denzel spoke softly.

"Look after Momma for me, Tifa. When Christmas comes next year, put her on the tree so she can see watch over everyone from above and make sure they're all happy when they're with you."

Tifa tried to say something, but nothing was coming out. Denzel gave Tifa a tight hug in which she returned the embrace.

"You're my angel that I am glad I found. "

* * *

_It seems that when Denzel comes over for the party, his mother will be looking over him here._

The thought melted Tifa's heart as her eyes welled up a bit with tears, but she couldn't allow herself to cry during a joyful time of year. She quickly switched gears and latched onto Vincent in a tight embrace.

Vincent, taken a back a bit, sighed happily as he wrapped his strong arms around Tifa's frame.

"You know, Tifa. Before I met you, I really didn't have any Christmas spirit in me. I actually didn't think I'd be able to put up the decorations like you wanted, but by seeing how much this meant to you, the party, the company, I wanted to show you how much your happiness means to me. You're like an angel that I'm glad I found and can keep for as long you let me."

Tifa pulled her head back a bit, placed a hand behind Vincent's head, pulled him in for a soft kiss, and both closed their eyes.

After a minute or so, the pair slowly let go of one another, a sense of contentment filling the room. No words needed at this moment as the pair locked eyes with one another.

"Did you turn on the lights?" Tifa inquired noticing not only how dark it suddenly got but that the tree was having orange, blue, green, purple and red lights dancing around it."

"Um, I don't think I did."

"Just like you weren't the one who attacked the tree right?" Tifa playfully smacked Vincent in the arm.

"Well…" Vincent rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. "You didn't mention the angel automatically lighting up when it became dark.

Tifa looked up at the top of tree and, indeed, the angel had more of a warm glow around it as opposed to actual lighting.

She merely shrugged her shoulders. "I guess she's able to light up when she senses happiness around her and doesn't want anyone to forget the Christmas spirit. Even if they've lost someone dear to them or live far away from loved ones." Tifa slid her hand into Vincent's and laced her fingers with his.

"Though, I'll admit, even though I might have a change of heart when it comes to Christmas, I would rather spend it with you as instead of celebrating it on my own. You're the one who helped me embrace it, Tifa, and I no longer linger in the darkness of my home wishing for the damn holiday to be over with. Instead, after our first Christmas together, I can only hope that we'll be able to spend more Christmases together and decorate for it and even sing carols."

"Wow, change of heart, Vincent. I like it, though you didn't mention having any guests over."

"Don't rush me on that part, Tifa," Vincent laughed, "I still have yet to encounter Reno's damn dog, and if I'm lucky, I'll be able to spend next Christmas with you instead of in jail for dog slaughter."

Tifa gave Vincent a peck on the cheek. "Alright, decorating and singing is in. You'll just have to prepare yourself for dinner guests and gift wrapping which, by the way, you're going to have to learn how to fold your corners better. I'm going to go change, and then we'll set up the fire and have some good ol' fashioned hot coco next to it while we cuddle."

As Tifa proceeded up the stairs to their bedroom, Vincent slid a hand into his pocket. Pulling out a small black box, he took a quick glance a the stairs to make sure Tifa was out of sight before opening the lid. Inside the box was a black wedding band that had an aquamarine heart on it with a diamond on each side of it. Inside was an inscription stating '_My angel, my everything' _which came out gold.

"I don't know if Christmas would be a good time to propose," Vincent spoke to himself, looking at the ring, "if I could only be sure that she'll say yes, then I won't have to worry about feeling to a fool in front of everyone after being shot down."

The angel's glow and the lights quickly faded out a before coming back on again.

Vincent nodded his head, popped the lid back on the box, and stuck it back in his pocket. He gave the angel a quick salute, then put his jacket on to retrieve the fire wood from outside.

"Now, if I only knew if Tifa had bought the Victoria's Secret lingerie like she said she would…"

* * *

Fin!

This took a day to write, and I really wanted to make sure that I didn't have as many errors as I did with my other stories. By not having a grammar check software on my computer (and I'm sure I could download one) nor a good chunk of patience to read then re-read my own stories without wanting to add more to it, I'm taking a shot at getting the 'Check your spelling and grammar!' comments.

Then again, I don't mind so long as the story is complete and that I'm satisfied with the ending result. Anyone who leaves positive feedback, I take my hat off to you and give a little curtsy as well.

Merry (early) Christmas to everyone, and Happy Holidays!

:D


End file.
